[Kim Jaeho's Story of Life]<274> Can Calcium Supplements Prevent Osteoporosis?

During the cold winter months, people often walk on icy roads, increasing the risk of falling and, naturally, leading to a higher number of fracture patients. A fracture refers to a break or crack in a bone. According to the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service, the number of people treated for fractures increased by 24.5% over four years, from 2.33 million in 2020 to 2.9 million in 2024.

Not all fractures are caused by osteoporosis, but people with osteoporosis have weak bones that break easily, so even minor falls, slips, or bumps greatly increase the risk of fracture. According to the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF), one-third of women and one-fifth of men over the age of 50 worldwide experience fractures due to osteoporosis.

Fractures caused by osteoporosis mainly occur in the hip joint, wrist, and spine. In particular, the prognosis for patients with hip joint fractures, also known as femoral neck fractures, is poor. About 20% of patients with hip fractures die within one year due to complications, and even among survivors, 40% are unable to walk independently after one year, while 60% become so dependent that they require assistance, often ending up in nursing homes.

Osteoporosis is a disease in which bone mass decreases and bone density is reduced. Because osteoporosis usually has no obvious symptoms, many people only discover they have it during a health checkup or after experiencing a fracture. As a result, people tend to pay little attention to osteoporosis and often neglect efforts to prevent it.

According to the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service, the number of people treated for osteoporosis increased by 26.7% from 1.05 million in 2020 to 1.33 million in 2024. Given this trend, it is unlikely that the number of fractures among osteoporosis patients will decrease in the future. Since osteoporosis is difficult to cure, understanding and preventing its causes is the best strategy. Therefore, let us examine the causes of osteoporosis in more detail to help prevent it.

In our bodies, bone remodeling is a continuous process in which old bone, after about ten years, is broken down by cells called osteoclasts, and new bone is formed by osteoblasts to fill the space. As long as there is a balance between these two processes, there is no problem. However, if too much bone is lost before its time, or if new bone formation does not keep up with bone resorption, osteoporosis develops.

To prevent osteoporosis, it is important to minimize bone loss and improve lifestyle habits so that osteoblasts can produce enough bone.

To reduce bone loss, it is advisable to limit salt, smoking, alcohol, certain medications including steroids, carbonated drinks, and caffeine, all of which contribute to bone loss. Excessive salt intake causes calcium to be excreted along with sodium in the kidneys, depleting calcium from the bones. Smoking and alcohol interfere with calcium absorption and bone formation, and also increase the secretion of hormones that damage bones, thus accelerating bone loss in various ways.

For osteoblasts to produce enough bone, the body must have an adequate supply of nutrients, especially calcium. Most of the nutrients, including calcium, from broken-down bone are recycled to form new bone, so only a small additional amount of calcium is needed.

The small amount of additional calcium required can be easily obtained from a wide variety of foods, so unless one has a severely unbalanced diet, it is possible to consume enough calcium. Foods rich in calcium include a variety of vegetables such as radish greens, stonecrop, and kale; soy products like tofu; seaweed such as kelp and sea mustard; small fish like anchovies; and dairy products. Therefore, there is little risk of calcium deficiency causing problems, and there is generally no need to rely on calcium supplements.

It is also important to remember that the calcium in supplements does not automatically turn into bone inside the body. Bone is only formed when osteoblasts are provided with a proper environment in which they can work effectively.

For bone formation to occur in the body: (1) the genes of osteoblasts, which act as the bone factory, must not be damaged; (2) there must be a sufficient supply of the nutrients needed for bone formation; and (3) the genetic switches of osteoblasts must be activated when necessary. The NewsStart lifestyle is recommended for these purposes.

By adopting a pro-life lifestyle called NewsStart (refer to "Story of Life" episode 6), which activates the life switches in osteoblast genes to promote bone formation, and by ensuring adequate vitamin D-through about 10 minutes of direct sunlight exposure daily and regular exercise-one can help osteoblasts work efficiently. Consuming foods rich in vitamin D, such as seafood including fish and mushrooms, can also be beneficial.

It is important to be aware of the potential side effects of excessive calcium supplement intake. Consuming more calcium than the body needs requires the body to excrete the excess, and if the kidneys cannot eliminate it properly, there is an increased risk of developing kidney stones.

If a health checkup reveals low bone density, instead of immediately considering calcium supplements, it is better to reflect on whether you have any unhealthy lifestyle habits that contribute to bone loss. Furthermore, by creating an environment in which your osteoblasts can work energetically to produce sufficient bone-through adopting the NewsStart lifestyle-you will have no need to worry about osteoporosis.

The first of the eight elements of NewsStart is a life-promoting diet, which involves eating a wide variety of plant-based foods-fruits, vegetables, and grains-in a balanced and whole form, without favoring specific foods. In addition, it is important to reduce the intake of sugar (which causes many problems when consumed in excess), processed or refined unhealthy carbohydrates, saturated and trans fats, salt, and alcohol. Practicing the other elements of NewsStart-exercise, water, sunlight, temperance, fresh air, rest, trust, and love-is also essential.

Independent researcher